Blue Corn Moon
by PedRock
Summary: A short story chronicling Saix's development, where he goes to a certain Disney world that's been in high demand for a quite a while, methinks. Enjoy the twists, turns and revelations in No. 7's story and overall, I hope it's a nice read.
1. Chapter 1

_Blue Corn Moon_

A/N: Seeing that Kingdom Hearts 3 is determined to come out in 2028, I decided to fill that time in with this fic to go alongside the other forty billion KH fics online. Hopefully, this one is a-okay.

This specific story chronicles the development of Saix. It won't be a long affair, probably about 4 chapters. It's still in progress, so your feedback is encouraged and is still very useful.

Thanks for clicking, and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"It'll never work, man."

"I tell ya, Isa. You've got to have faith."

"Last time I had faith, you had us thrown out on our butts. What makes this any different?"

"This time, I have it all planned out. We go in through the sewers…"

"The sewers, huh?" Isa raised an eyebrow as Lea rambled about his plans, this one in particular already sounding quite familiar, as they walked down the moonlit streets of Radiant Garden.

"Yeah. Get it memorized, okay?" Lea continued to move his hands with an alacrity he only possessed when embarking on those slippery slopes he called ideas. "We find ourselves in the basement…"

"The basement?"

"Can I even finish a sentence without you questioning my plans?"

"Of course. You surely know what you're talking about."

"What? You have a better idea?" Lea stopped walking and crossed his arms, smirking with a burning pride only he could have.

"Last time we tried, we were just below the age restriction. That, and our resumes were pretty bad. But think about it," Isa leaned against the side of the closed ice cream shop. "I have my job at the store…"

Lea scoffed and said, "I forgot. Selling jewelry with some Moogles is pretty top notch. My bad."

Isa ignored his friend and continued. "…that tutor's been paying off for me, you have that maintenance job…"

"In the sewers, which is why we should go through…"

"…we're old enough and I like to think we're educated enough. Isn't that right, Lea?"

"Man, what's your phobia of fun all about?"

Isa looked at Lea blankly, half-expecting something as ludicrous as that to come from Lea's mouth, yet half-surprised as well. Lea never lost that shock value. "Fun?"

"Yeah. You're a Debbie Downer. Negative Nancy. Party Pooper."

Isa crossed one arm around his chest, the other's elbow resting upon it, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "So what you're telling me is that your idea of a good time is wading through raw sewage…"

Lea made sure to interject, his cocksure grin shining. "Kept clean by our city's wonderful purifiers!" He stepped closer and whispered, "Which I keep in pretty good condition, mind you."

Isa smiled to satisfy his wisecracking friend. "Yes. Of course." He continued his deduction. "So we go through the _clean_ sewers, sneak into a basement, the location of which we don't even know and…"

"We get caught." Lea said frankly.

"Excuse me?" This was a little detail Lea failed to mention in his other descriptions of the plan.

"Make ourselves known. We show off our skills and they hire us replace those two jerks at the door." He mimicked a chef praising his work, placing a kiss in his hand and throwing it, before asking, "Got it memorized?"

"Unfortunately," Isa answered quickly before adding, "So let me get this straight. My plan, the legal one…"

"Boring."

"…ends up with us being interns or custodians, at the least."

"Boring."

"Your plan, the disastrously bad one…"

"Hey!"

"…ends with us in prison..."

"That's probably only 35% true!"

"…and we smell terrible in the end."

"Purifiers!"

"Your plan still stinks."

"Look. I'm just trying to have a little fun here, Isa." Lea wrapped his arm around his blue-haired friend. "A little adventure here and there doesn't hurt." He then released Isa and looked up at the towering castle they so desperately wanted to get into. "Sides, any chance to get in there, see what's happens in there and to finally show off what I can do…" He looked to Isa with a rare dose of gravity. "I think is a chance worth taking, don't ya think?" Lea proceeded to slap Isa on the back and laugh. "Why not do it in style?"

Isa smirked at his friend's enthusiasm. "Whatever. I just want to finally meet Ansem. I've heard so mu…" He stopped in midsentence as the sky darkened. The clouds had begun to obscure the moon from sight. "Huh. That's…that's odd."

Lea looked up along with Isa, not as perturbed as his friend. "What? Ever hear of partly cloudy, man?"

"There was supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, clear skies for viewing." Lea looked back at Isa blankly. "I've told this to you, like, a dozen times."

"And I've told you my sewer plans, like, a dozen times, so now we're even."

Isa remained serious and looked back up at the absent moon. "Something feels…weird." And with that, there was a clap of thunder and rain began to fall heavily.

"What?! Rain? Now? I thought it was supposed to be clear skies tonight."

A drenched Isa turned to his friend with an arched eyebrow, to which Lea retorted, "What? I saved you telling me a thirteenth time. You should be thanking me." He laughed before punching Isa in the arm and ran for dry land around the corner of the next street.

Isa rolled his eyes as he walked past people retreating into their homes and stores and looked around the corner, only to see Lea finishing the process of opening a manhole. Lea looked up, gave Isa a toothy grin and hopped in the dark abyss. Isa ran up to the hole and looked down, unable to see Lea, shaking his head.

 _You continue to impress me, Lea. Almost shocked me that time._ He did a quick double-take to see if anyone was watching. Most people were sane enough to have gone inside.

The blue-haired youth then took one last look at the clouds that had obscured the moon, which seemed blacker and thicker than before. A bright orange glow from the tunnels below drew his attention from the ominous spectacle. He promptly jumped in, uneasily unaware of what was happening and what was going to happen.

* * *

Saix watched sternly as Roxas left the room to embark on his assigned mission. He returned to what he was doing before Roxas had arrived. Looking out the window, Saix's gaze was fixed on Kingdom Hearts. Its bright sheen was almost hypnotizing, its size breath-taking, its potential limitless.

"Saix?"

He turned to face the Superior. Once he did so, it occurred to Saix that everyone else had already left for their missions. "Yes, Xemnas?"

"Cancel your mission for today. I have a task of greater significance for you to complete."

Saix was startled, as he asked, "My mission in Traverse Town?"

"For another time," said Xemnas, "I have…a new world for you to visit."

"New world?"

"Vexen located it before he joined the others at Castle Oblivion. It has something…desirable to us, to say the least."

Saix raised his eyebrow.

"A possible princess of heart."

Saix tensed when the Superior said this, his skin growing cold. "Weren't there only seven?"

Xemnas continued to explain the way one would to a confused child. "Maleficent needed seven. If there were only seven princesses of light in the World, all worlds would be enveloped in darkness."

Saix nodded, rubbing his chin as began to understand what Xemnas had meant. "What you're proposing is I go to this 'new world' and take this princess…"

"…to attract Heartless, yes. That would make No. 13's job much easier, and the fulfillment of Kingdom Hearts much faster. Wouldn't you agree, Saix?"

When Xemnas mentioned Kingdom Hearts' completion, Saix grew numb. "Tell me where the world is and I'll have the task done."

Xemnas bore the rare smile as the two turned to the window to observe Kingdom Hearts' progress. "Before you agree to anything, there are some conditions you must agree on first."

Saix didn't bother to turn around as he faintly asked, "Conditions?"

The Superior's gaze also remained fixed on Kingdom Hearts. "You will not be working alone on this mission."

"Understandably so. But with whom?" Saix glanced at the empty lounge area before turning back to face Kingdom Hearts. "Hasn't everyone embarked on their tasks for the day?"

"All except one." With that, footsteps from behind drew closer and closer. Saix was the only one of the two at the window who had turned around.

"Don't I have the best timing?"

"Xigbar." Saix blandly addressed the Organization's one-eyed Freeshooter.

"Ah, the lunar loon." He gave Saix a nod and asked Xemnas in a loud whisper, "He's the one who has the tantrums at night, right? I lose track of this stuff." Xemnas responded with his usual blank stare, to which Xigbar responded with a change in subject. "We're heading out or what?"

"In time, Xigbar." Xemnas gave Saix eye contact, solely addressing him. "Your performance lately has been…disappointing."

Saix was taken aback by the statement and cocked his head in confusion. "Xemnas?"

Xigbar grinned as he observed this. "C'mon, bossman. Take it easy. You're crushing the poor guy's heart." Realizing the fallacy in what he just said, he added, "Oops. My bad."

Xemnas shot Xigbar a bland stare which, though it bore no actual emotion, signified dangerous consequences. Xigbar had received the message and turned to open the pathway to this new world.

Saix took this opportunity to ask, "What have I done wrong, Xemnas? I've done my assigned missions, I've taught the boy what he needs to know, I've sent Axel to dispose of the traitors..." He did not raise his voice, as to him, these were just facts that needed to be said.

"Yes, and I commend you for that. However, as you know, the Organization will be going through some demanding times in this next year. You'll be taking up a larger role in the Organization." Xemnas began to walk away as he spoke. "You need to be better equipped for the times to come."

Saix, puzzled as ever, asked after Xemnas, "Equipped?" Alas, it was too late, as Xemnas had left the room.

"Don't waste your breath, kid," Xigbar chuckled as Saix turned to face his partner. "He speaks in riddles, we answer in results. That's just how it is." He motioned to the portal. "Well? I'm not getting any younger. Let's go!"

When Xigbar walked into the dark pathway he had created, Saix followed behind, his ego bruised.

* * *

Saix sat in the makeshift tent he had set up, deep in his own thoughts. _I'm privy to how the missions are given out. I even organize them to fit everyone's skill set as to make sure we_ remain _thirteen. I handle my own missions without error. I'm the one most dedicated to completing Kingdom Hearts. What have I not done?_ He was mainly frustrated with himself, as until now, he was unaware that he had so many failings.

The scary thought of Demyx surpassing Saix's skill came into his mind and was fortunately dashed when Xigbar jumped from the trees above, something strapped to his back. "Welp, that's recon done."

Saix walked from under the tarp into the moonlight partly obscured by the tall trees in the area they camped in. "What did you find out?"

Instead of answering Saix's question, Xigbar looked around with an exaggerated expression of disgust. "What? No fire? This place is dark, freezing and full of things to cook. Why is there no fire?"

Peeved at Xigbar's ignorance, Saix replied, "We want to stay incognito if we're going to get anything done. The smoke of the fire might attract unwanted visitors."

Xigbar laughed Saix's comment off. "We don't have to worry about that. There are a bunch of hunting camps spread out around here with fires burning. One more wouldn't hurt." He sat down on one of the logs Saix set out as seats, sighing with relaxation and relief.

Saix sat down on the log parallel to Xigbar's. "Really? Anything else of significance?"

"These guys aren't cut from the same cloth. There're two huge settlements, one a few miles in that direction, the other a few miles that way." Xigbar smirked, as if amused, "And something tells me they don't like each other very much."

Saix arched an eyebrow in interest. "How so?"

"You climb up high enough, you'll see there's a strict border separating these two groups, a line that's never crossed. You got hunting camps equipped with bows-and-arrows on one side, the side we seem to be camped on, and then you have camps equipped with these on the other." Xigbar pulled the item he had strapped to his back into sight and threw it to Saix.

Saix caught the object and analyzed it. "This is of a similar make of the weapons in Port Royal."

"Meaning they're terribly inaccurate and won't be an issue for us. Of course, that depends on if they shoot…" Xigbar summoned one of his dual guns and, faster than Saix could blink, shot a rabbit passing by. "…between the eyes." He proceeded to get up, kick some twigs together and shoot them to start a fire.

Xigbar then went to pick up his prey by the ears as Saix looked on with vague concern. "I wish you had a silencer for those things. Have you ever considered Xaldin making you one?"

The shady shooter looked back with an amused look in his eyes and chuckled, shaking his head as he returned to his seat. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Saix, slightly offended, looked back with disgust. "I suppose I don't."

Xigbar removed one of his ammunition packs to skin the rabbit, using the sharp edges to his advantage. "Do I have to spell it out for you? You're supposed to be angry, peeved, ruffled! What you should've said is, 'Hey, cyclops! Are you trying to get us captured?'"

Saix smirked, which was almost as rare as a smile from Xemnas. "Maybe I should reserve my anger for the hunters you just attracted to our camp, and not on fools with loud blasters."

Xigbar chortled as he skinned the rabbit. "You're one of the clever ones. You know how to separate yourself from those pesky things—emotions, feelings, passions of the heart, whatever you prefer to call them."

Confused, Saix said, "Well, I don't have any to begin with."

"That's the thing. You're honest." Xigbar paused as he took another go with the ammunition pack turned hunting knife. "Yet, you're not really honest, though, are ya?"

Saix laughed humorlessly. "And Xemnas is the one who speaks in riddles?"

Xigbar looked up at Saix, partly entertained by Saix's snarking yet partly annoyed as well. "You know how to be detached from all the other remnants of your emotions and you know how to keep your anger in when it counts. I've seen you in action before. Your tantrums work pretty well."

"I prefer you not to call them…"

"But you hold back when it counts." Xigbar shrugged. "Not that I think that's an issue with you. You just haven't found a chance to let loose, get crazy and all that jazz."

Saix nodded, understanding completely, "I see."

Xigbar placed the rabbit's body aside, confessing, "I was actually supposed to let you find out on your own and all that corny nonsense but this place, aside from what I told, seems pretty dull…" An arrow shot past Xigbar's head, landing in the tree just behind him, leading him to mutter, "To think I was sitting on some wood to knock." He then turned to Saix. "Looks like we got those visitors you were expecting. Let's spread out, confuse them. I go in that direction, you in that one."

Saix answered dryly, "From where they're shooting the arrows? How considerate of you."

Another arrow went by them, this time almost grazing Saix's face. "I know. Christmas hath come early. Now move!" As more arrows began to land in their direction, Xigbar hopped up to the trees where he'd be adept as a sniper. Saix threw the musket Xigbar had passed him onto the ground and retreated into the bushes, but didn't go too far from the camp. He wanted to see for himself who the attackers were. To answer his call, about half a dozen men armed with axes and arrows wearing Earth-colored clothes rushed through the camp and took a look around the area.

"They've gotten away!" One man, donning some sort of war paint, had remarked.

A leaner man bent down and picked up the musket Xigbar had retrieved. "And left this."

A well-built man with a thick line of black hair on his scalp replied, "Allies of the other white men, no doubt." He shook his head, before adding, "We move on."

"But Kocoum, that's their land…"

"Land they have no right to!" Kocoum raised his voice, enraged by his comrade's comments. "They don't get to draw lines, say who lives where. And if they choose to cross those lines, like this…" He gestured to Saix and Xigbar's camp. "…then why shouldn't we?"

The rest of his crew responded with silence.

Kocoum took that as a unanimous agreement. "Then we move on." The men continued to run off to where Xigbar indicated the other camps were.

 _We've been in this world for about an hour and we've already seemed to have meddled far more than we should've_ , Saix thought in regret as he walked towards where Kocoum and his allies had run from. _If that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'm unsure._

* * *

Saix continued to walk, losing track of time. Dawn was about to break, and he had not found any of the camps Xigbar had spoken of. _If he had given me more specific directions, maybe I wouldn't be..._

"Thank you, Grandmother."

 _What was that?_ Saix abruptly stopped in his tracks and ventured into the bushes. He sensed a strong light very close to where the voice was coming from.

Saix ventured through the bushes, entering into a sort of swampy area, where he saw a lean girl, perhaps in her teenage years, walking away from a large grey tree.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The next tome in our little tale here. Once again, any input on how it's going would be fantastic. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Geez, man. Could you turn those down a notch?"

"What? It's dark down here."

"Whatever." Isa looked around at the sewer tunnel, dimly lit by Lea's weapons. Lea had been right about one thing: the water _was_ pretty clean. "I hope you realize how much of an anomaly you are."

Lea grinned, "I don't know if I should be flattered or offended."

"Only _you_ would escape the rain by hopping into a manhole."

Lea's grin grew even smugger grin, "I'm a creative spirit."

"I guess that _is_ a fancy way to say stupid."

"You'll never understand my vision, Isa," Lea sighed as he turned and started to walk off.

Isa jogged ahead to keep pace with Lea and the light, "Where are you going?"

Lea chuckled, "Where do you think?"

Isa stopped in his tracks and thought, before finally realizing what Lea had meant. He ran back up to his stubborn friend.

"Oh no, man. C'mon. Getting thrown out on a nice warm day is one thing. In the freezing rain? No thanks."

"What else do you wanna do? Just sit here till the rain ends? That's the underground equivalent of playing a board game or reading a book." Lea shuddered at the very idea.

 _Fair point._ Of course, Isa wasn't willing to admit that, him being the _smart_ one in this duo. They really didn't have much else to do. If they were lucky, they probably wouldn't even get to the castle. They would've just kept wandering around without a clue before they got tired and went back up-ground to get some rest and bite to eat. The chances of them even finding a clue…

Lea stopped short, confused, "What was that?"

"What do you mean?" Isa peered ahead into the darkness, "I don't see anything."

Lea took a few steps forward., "I could've sworn I saw something. Like, two yellow lights…"

He took another step forward, only to walk right into… _something_ clad in armor, razor sharp claws poised to rake at his face. Fortunately, Lea was aware enough to keep his weapons up to guard himself.

Isa grew pale, shock overtaking him. Lea's pleas for help snapped Isa out of it as he drew his own cudgel and struck out at the creature, sending it flying off into the darkness. There was a brief lull as silence fell. Feeling something was off, Isa moved farther up. All he could see were those same two yellow eyes before the beast came back into the light, clawed Isa's side and ran off down the tunnel, back the way Isa and Lea had come.

Isa winced in pain, grabbing at his side. His fingers were wet and red, stained with blood from open scars. He stumbled over to Lea, who was just getting up. Isa extended his hand to help him, and Lea got to his feet, panting from exhaustion.

For the most part, his face seemed unscathed. Before Isa could ask if his red-headed friend was alright, Lea threw one of his flaming discs at the creature, which had just attempted to come back around for a final slash, finishing it off at last.

The disc now back in his hand, Lea turned to Isa and asked, "You good?"

Isa nodded wincing as he reached into his back pocket for the flask he knew was there, "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine."

He opened the flask and poured a careful amount of Potion it contained onto the wound. Contrary to Lea's belief, working with Moogles had some benefits, despite the low pay, "You?"

"Yeah." Lea panted, "What _was_ that?"

"Bad news," Isa turned on his heel, starting back the way they'd come, "C'mon, we're heading home."

"No, Isa. We're moving on."

"I'm sure the rain's stopped, "said Isa without turning around, "This 'adventure' isn't worth it. At least, not now."

"It's not about the rain…"

Isa rounded back on Lea, voice rising in frustration, "Why then? Why would you want to even keep going after that?"

Lea shrugged. "Well… _that_."

That left Isa without words for a moment, "Lea, that thing almost killed us. That way, in that direction there…" he pointed back to the darkness ahead of them, "…there's probably more of them."

"And, also in that direction, Isa, is the castle."

"Are you really still on about that?" Isa sighed, "Why even try breaking in at this point? They're coming _from_ the castle."

"Exactly. We have to go over there and bail those guys out."

"Oh, c'mon, Lea! Those guys hate us! Besides, they probably have it all under control."

"Or maybe they don't. Which is when we slip in…"

"…and get cut to pieces. Why don't you drop the 'dreamy hero' act cause the truth is we're not going…"

"Why don't you listen for just a sec, huh, Isa?" yelled Lea, his voice rebounding off the sides of the tunnel, "That one just snuck up on us. It was pretty easy to take out."

"Well, it did _this_ ," said Isa, pointing to the slowly closing scar on his side.

"'Cause you weren't ready," Lea replied, more positively, "'Sides, imagine what'd happen if we _do_ save their butts from those monsters?"

Isa finally saw where Lea was going with all this, "We get those jobs…"

"…and instant promotions to guards. And, might I add, my good friend, that you'll be saving the one-and-only Ansem himself."

Isa brightened at the mention of their leader's name, reminded of everything he wanted to discuss with the scientist, the questions he wanted to ask, the things he wanted to learn. What was a heart? How did it work? Did people really need them? Isa would finally be able to…

"Well, Isa?" prompted Lea, breaking Isa out of his trance, "Got it memorized?"

Isa smirked, "Crystal."

Finally on the same page, the two started back down the tunnel toward the castle, this time on the lookout for sewer monsters.

* * *

Saix's careful balance was shaken by a strong gust of wind, carrying a cluster of brightly colored leaves into his face. Try as he might to keep to the undergrowth, Saix felt himself being pushed back into the open, landing clumsily on his back in the shadow of a willow tree.

Strangely, from where he was lying, the wind seemed almost to come from the tree. It was a odd looking tree besides, appearing almost to have a face made up of knots and grooves in the trunk. Whether the whole world was like this or this was quite literally an odd part of the woods, Saix could not be sure.

The woman he'd heard turned to face Saix, coming quickly to where he'd fallen, "Who are you?"

Saix struggled to get up, leaning on his Claymore for support, "I don't mean any harm."

A hummingbird zipped past the girl and flew around Saix as if to investigate him. It was quite a bother and Saix was tempted to swat it away, but for the sake of this conversation, he had to remain peaceful. There was another animal, a raccoon, hiding behind the girl's leg. It had shifty eyes, as if it were plotting something.

The woman approached Saix, unafraid of his weapon, "Then why were you so keen on hiding?"

It had been a long while since Saix had been logically disarmed like this.

 _The light…she's the light._ This mission would've been over much faster if he'd been able to stay hidden and complete the task. Of course, due to unnaturally strong winds, his task would have to wait.

"I _did_ mean to do harm, but not to you. I was just…hunting."

"Ah. Of course." Despite her words, she didn't seem to believe Saix. Echoing her hummingbird, she walked around him, looking him up and down, "I may have said you're with the English, looking for gold…"

 _If Xigbar had cared to get that information, this conversation would be a lot easier,_ thought Saix, feeling cornered.

"…but," her eye flicked up to Saix's hair, "You don't look like one of them." Surprisingly enough, her impassive face broke into a smile, "Who _are_ you?"

Saix felt almost paralyzed, struggling for an answer. Before he could say anything, however, he was knocked to the ground, the raccoon pouncing on him, apparently keen on his weapon. Brushing himself off, Saix got back to his feet, grabbing for the Claymore. The raccoon didn't want to give up, clinging to the business end of the club even as Saix lifted it up off the ground.

The woman laughed, "Come now, Meeko. Leave him alone." She grinned knowingly, toward Saix, "He was _hunting_ , after all." Apparently understanding the implications of that, the raccoon stiffened. Saix glared at it stonily, for good measure, and Meeko dropped his ill-gotten good, running back behind the girl's leg.

Feeling comfortable as he could, Saix, "I'm Saix. I'm just exploring."

"Hm." the woman nodded, her smile fading, "Exploring. You wouldn't be the first…" She paused, "I'm Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan."

Looking unsure, Pocahontas awkwardly offered her hand. Getting the idea, Saix shook it.

"That's Flit," she indicated the bird, "And you already know Meeko," she nodded to the raccoon.

Saix smiled weakly and, speaking more to her animal friends than anyone else, said "Pleasure," somewhat acerbically. He turned to leave, figuring he'd have to bide his time before making his move.

"Wait!" Pocahontas grabbed his shoulder, "You're on my tribe's land. The least you could do is tell me why you're here."

Saix stopped short. This girl was clever, no doubt about that. He realized he could spin this to his advantage, make it into a test.

"To be entirely truthful," he explained, "I'm tracking down these creatures, made entirely of darkness. Have you seen anything of the sort?"

Startled, Pocahontas asked, "How did you know?"

Saix repressed a satisfied smirk, "I'm here to exterminate them and protect the world from falling into their hands. Thank you for telling me."

"That isn't everything."

"Oh?"

A guilty shadow crossed her face, "I think they're here…because of me."

Saix disguised a look of recognition and of gratification, remaining silent for Pocahontas to continue.

"I don't want to believe it. There's a part of me that tells me it's not true. And I've been told that it isn't my fault…" Pocahontas looked to the willow tree, but kept on before Saix could think much on it, "…but my father, he…"

And with the most terrible timing, a group of Soldier Heartless materialized around the two of them. Tightening his grip on his Claymore, Saix called to Pocahontas, "Stay back!"

He lunged at one of the Soldiers, taking it out in one blow. Effortlessly making use of his weapon's range, Saix cut through whole groups of Heartless at once, though they kept appearing, wave upon wave. Soldiers, Shadows, Darkballs and Defenders, with no end in sight.

Saix was so absorbed in fighting that he almost forgot what had attracted the Heartless here in the first place.

"Pocahontas!" he hurried toward the willow where he'd left her, but she seemed to be faring just fine on her own. Somehow, Pocahontas seemed to be directing the wind, leaves and detritus from the forest floor moving fluidly against the Heartless.

 _She can fight back_ , thought Saix with his usual rational tact, _That will complicate things. How would one neutralize…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp stinging pain, a thorn piercing his shoulder. He moved to pull it out, as another stuck in his thigh. Before he knew it, he was flanked on either side by Creeper Plants. He struggled to his feet, blocking the next thorn before it could hit.

The sight of his own blood filled Saix with rage, the moonlight above him filling him with strength. He lunged over to the first Creeper Plant, striking it down in one fell swoop before leaping behind to the next one, taking it out as well.

Wielding his Claymore backhand, Saix charged into a group of Shadows and Soldiers, knocking them into the air as easily as if they were leaves in Pocahontas' wind. Unable to defend themselves, the Heartless were easily dispensed with.

In the wake of battle, and with the adrenaline wearing off, Saix realized how badly he'd been hurt and how much he was bleeding. The thorns must have been poisonous as well.

"You're hurt." Pocahontas drew up to him, her animal associates emerging from the limbs of the willow tree to join her now that the cost was clear.

"I'm fine." he instinctively reached into his cloak before remembering that the Elixirs he'd packed were still at the camp, abandoned.

"Come, I'll take you to my village. You'll get help there…" Before she could say more, another girl came rushing from the underbrush, "Nakoma! What's wrong?"

The girl drew up besides them, ashen, "It's the village, Pocahontas! Those creatures have it under attack." She looked past her friend to Saix, " _Another_ one of them?"

"Nakoma…"

"Pocahontas, can't you see your father's right? They're bringing those beasts onto our land. You can't be seeing these people…"

"Nakoma!" Pocahontas raised her voice, effectively silencing her, "We can't leave this man here to die. It's not our way, whether my father likes it or not." She nodded to Saix, who was slowly listing against his Claymore, the world going blurry.

"Now help me carry him home!"

Saix collapsed, his eyes closing on Pocahontas, Nakoma and, somewhere behind them, a shadowy figure blowing away in a rush of dried leaves.

* * *

Saix woke with a start, beads of sweat dripping from his brow. He was in his room, in his bed. His near death experience had just been a dream.

"About time you woke up."

Saix turned to the door, "Axel!"

"I figured you were knocked out for good," Axel smirked, "or you were just very lazy."

"Axel," Saix got up from bed, "Castle Oblivion. How was it? Were you able to…?"

Without warning, Axel grabbed hold of Saix's arm, pinned it behind his back and slammed him against the wall, his nose breaking with an audible crunch.

"Axel, what are you…?"

"You should've killed him, Saix."

"What?!"

"I'm doing this to help you out, man."

"Let me go!"

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."

A wave of Shadows hit the bedroom window, cracking it. "Axel, please…"

"It's too late, Isa."

Another wave hit the window, cracking it further. "Please!"

"Fair travels."

The window broke, enveloping Saix in darkness.

* * *

Saix opened his eyes, panting raggedly. He was lying in a dim place, walled in by canvas hangings. A tent. He tried to sit up, but was forced down by a sharp burst of pain.

On closer examination, Saix noticed cloth bandages over his waist and his shoulder, stained a raw and ruddy red shade. Noticing a faint burning sensation in his wrists, Saix noticed a frayed length of rope fall to the earth floor. The rope appeared to have been cut through.

He found his cloak lying beside him, looking as though it had been tossed aside.

 _They took it off to get to the wounds, leaving me vulnerable to the Heartless…the dream._

Forcing himself to forget about the pain, Saix put his cloak back on. He took his Claymore from where it was leaning and, using it as a crutch, limped back out into the open. It was still nighttime, Saix noticed, and the village was just as ravaged as Nakoma had said. Small fires still smoldered over ruined tents and wood structures, men were carrying bodies off, in various states of disfigurement. Yet it seemed the tribe had managed to fend off the Heartless, despite their losses.

"Father, if you'd just listen…"

"Your willfulness will do nothing but hurt us further, Pocahontas!"

Saix turned his head to find Pocahontas following the man who must be her father, "You didn't see him, Father. He was fighting _against_ the creatures, not with them."

"In an attempt at self-preservation, no doubt. Men who meddle with such powers should expect to lose control of them." Pocahontas's father, the chief if Saix remembered correctly, didn't turn back to look at her once, "I only sent Kekata to that man so he might die with some honor. We're executing him tonight."

"Father, no!"

"It would lessen this curse only slightly but it's a start." the two passed into a large tent just off the center of the village.

Feeling it was only appropriate, Saix followed them inside, "Powhatan…" He grunted in, pain, his side protesting from the short walk. The tent appeared to house a kind of war council, with about a dozen solemn-faced men sitting around a fire.

Pocahontas turned at the sound of his voice, "Saix!" She crossed the tent in two long strides and hugged him. Before Saix could recover himself, she whispered in his ear, "Why are you still here?" Saix ignored the question, knowing the answer would be given soon enough.

"He was restrained," said Powhatan evenly, "tied down. Who…?" his eye came to rest on Pocahontas, and he nodded, "I see." he stared at Saix, face empty of expression, "Don't think too heavily on my daughter's hospitality. At sunup, you'll be executed, and your comrades will be struck down in battle."

Saix cocked an eyebrow, "If I really were your enemy, would I have saved your daughter from the darkness? Wouldn't I have run? I assure you, I'm here to eliminate those creatures. If you'll just hear my side…"

Powhatan looked from his daughter to Saix, sighing, "Speak, then."

"I'm not with these English your daughter spoke of. If you took one look at me, you'd see that."

"Tread lightly," said Powhatan warningly.

Saix nodded, "Secondly, I just wanted to ask about the creatures. How long have they been tormenting your people?"

"Since the English arrived." Powhatan looked bitterly at his daughter. "They've been plaguing us since my daughter took up with their captain."

Pocahontas blinked at him, taken aback, "How did you…?"

"Nakoma confessed. The child was swarmed with guilt from keeping your secrets."

Pocahontas looked to the ground, chastened, as Saix attempted to process this new development.

 _The Heartless came here with the English? They could still be after Pocahontas. But this does complicate things…_

He was about to ask another question, when two men entered the tent, carrying a third, wounded, between them.

Powhatan moved to the new arrivals at once, "Why hasn't this man been brought to Kekata with the rest?"

The soldier on the man's right replied, "He wasn't defending the village. He was part of Kocoum's hunting party."

"Kocoum?" gasped Pocahontas, "He's returned?"

The wounded man spoke up, sounding as though every word caused him pain, "No…he's…he needs help."

"What happened on that hunt, Edel?" asked Powhatan.

"We found one of… _their_ camps on our land." Edel looked at Saix, who couldn't help feel somewhat accountable despite himself, "They accused us…trespassed on their land…out for revenge…attacked us on sight…one of them, they claimed we killed…their captain…"

"John!" cried Pocahontas, stepping closer.

Powhatan looked at her with what seemed to be disappointed, but also a strange kind of sympathy. He turned back to Edel, "They did this to you?"

"N-no…we ran from them…no one was hurt, until we…until we saw it."

" _It?_ "

Edel began to break down, speaking fitfully, "It was terrible…it was so fast, so big…it called more of those beasts to aid it. Kocoum, he sent me to get help…when we first encountered it, we were a party of six. When I left… four."

Powhatan knelt to face Edel, "Give me a place and I will send men there to save them."

"The clearing by the river…some ways in that direction."

Powhatan was silent for some time. Pocahontas had turned to face the opposite direction, hand pressed to her face.

The chief rose to his feet at last, turning to the other two men, "Bring him to Kekata. I'll gather some men, send them to the river…"

"You can't!" Saix exclaimed, stepping forward. "Your village needs to recover." He feigned a sigh, his plan in mind, "If you want my trust, allow me to go take care of this. Let me prove myself."

Pocahontas turned back to him, her composure evidently restored enough, "You're still hurt!"

"I'm well enough to fight!"

"Fine," Powhatan stood up and approached Saix, "Prove yourself."

Pocahontas cut in, "He has nothing to prove! He saved my life!"

"He's an enemy of the tribe until proven otherwise!" Powhatan turned to the other members of the council, speaking in a more measured voice, "The English will be preparing to strike soon enough in retaliation for…" he sniffed dismissively, "…their captain. We must be ready to reciprocate."

"Father!"

"Now is not the time, child!"

"Violence and chaos begets more bloodshed on both our peoples! That's not who we are! That's not what I was taught!"

Powhatan had nothing to say to that. Pocahontas turned to Saix, "I'm coming with you."

"Pocahontas!"

The chief's daughter snapped at her father. "Kocoum's my betrothed, Father! I have a duty to protect him." With that, Pocahontas stormed out of the tent.

Powhatan moved as if to follow her, but Saix spoke up, "She'll be safe. I'll make sure of it." Saix was sure enough Pocahontas could take care of herself, as that battle by the willow could testify, but he supposed he could ease the chief's mind.

Powhatan scowled at Saix before storming out of the tent as well. Saix followed to see if he was after Pocahontas, but he seemed to intent on checking with the wounded. The Nobody held his Claymore up, confident he no longer needed it to support himself.

Though he still felt a faint, persistent soreness, under the moonlight none of that seemed to matter. He ran toward the tree line, after Pocahontas.

 _After the Heartless is taken care of, take the girl, find Xigbar and leave._ Saix had had more than his fair share of this world in the one night he'd been here, though he knew it was far from over.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hope you guys had a happy Easter or whatever it is you celebrate. This one took longer than usual, mainly due to the holiday and the content of this chapter. With that aside, however, read on and more importantly, enjoy.

* * *

"What did I tell you, Isa? That should be the basement of the castle…I hope. And how'd we get there?"

"Through the sewer."

"Through the sewer. I think someone owes me an apology."

"I think you need to look at the facts. If it wasn't for those things, there probably wouldn't even be a hole in the wall."

"Remind me to send them a gift basket, then. Y'know, after we stop killing them and they stop trying to kill us."

Isa sighed, partially from frustration and partially from the exhaustion. In any normal situation, Isa would've backed out of this plan immediately after being set upon seeing more of those monsters but the naïve need to meet a hero kept him on this trail.

Lea boosted Isa up to the large gap in the wall, which was some feet above them. Once he was up there, Isa lowered his club for Lea to grab on and to pull him up. Eventually, the both of them were in the lower levels of the castle: a corridor lined with glass cases, similar to the ones one might see art a zoo or a museum. The cases were all either broken or empty.

"What happened here?" Lea asked in awe as he kicked some of the broken glass on the floor.

 _More signs to leave,_ were Isa's first thoughts, before he added, _and more questions to ask._

"It looks like they were keeping those things locked up," Isa said, moving over to a whole wall of shattered cages, some caked with frost and others with smoke wafting out through cracked glass.

"And they broke out…" His words trailed off as he gaped at an incredible sight that lay just around the next corner.

"What? What's wrong?" Lea caught up with Isa to see what exactly had his friend in such a paralyzed state. He shared his friend's reaction. "What the…?" The two were looking at a cage of incredible size that took up a good portion of the wall they were looking at. It was bigger than any of the other cages in this hall, reaching almost to the ceiling and spanning the room from wall to wall.

"Who do you think we're dealing with here, Lea?" The people that had lived and worked in thic castle no longer seemed like mild-mannered politicians and researchers. No, now they were just shady scientists with shady experiments keeping secrets from the city they led, cooped up in their mysterious and frightening castle.

"I don't know. But I do know one thing," Lea turned to Isa. "Those things in the tunnels, they were pushovers. _This_ ," He pointed to the broken cage, "this is what we have to be worried about."

For the first time on this journey, Isa saw a look of anxiety and regret on Lea's face, as if he were rethinking this endeavor. And for the first time on this journey, Isa wasn't with him on that.

He spoke for the two of them. "Let's find the guys behind this, see if they have anything to say." The echo of his voice in the empty corridors led Isa to add, "If there _is_ anyone left."

"Right." Lea nodded, stepping away from the cage. "Let's go." Back in his firm position as leader, Lea continued his way down the corridor, all second thoughts apparently out the window. Isa followed, only two steps behind him.

After some traversing, the two passed by some more broken and empty cages of varying sizes before finally coming upon a large room, the walls lined with computer screens, desks overflowing with maps and charts, and, on the floor, six bodies sprawled out in a semi-circle, all scientists and guardsmen. They ran up to the corpses for a closer look. The gruff guards who always kicked Lea and Isa out on their butts, the smarmy-looking guy with the eyepatch, the eccentric scientist and the kid he'd adopted…they were all just empty and lifeless husks now.

Lea said nothing as he knelt down beside the corpses. Isa explored the room, looking around at the charts computers. None of them made sense to him. The numbers, the terms, the philosophical blurbs (supposedly journal entries) …

Isa turned sharply to Lea. "Ansem isn't here."

"Is that really our biggest concern right now?"

"He's the one behind this scheme, Lea. This was his experiment gone wrong! He made those things, kept them in those cages. He…he killed them!" Isa gradually raised his voice, the revelation that his hero caused so much destruction, wreaked so much havoc, fresh in his heart. "The guy's probably hiding somewhere, scared of his own creation."

Lea remained quiet, still looking down on the bodies with a rare solemnity.

"We have to find him, Lea."

"Really?!" Lea got up, his shell cracked. "Yeah, Isa. Let's find the nutcase who unleashed a bunch of monsters on his own castle and is crazy enough to even think up an idea like those. Good idea, man."

Isa yelled back, "What happened to that eager-beaver shtick, Lea? You see one serious, one grave thing and you back out?"

"When it's a bunch of dead bodies, uh, yeah!"

"Like those monsters in the sewers were any different?"

"Those things were nothing, Isa! Imagine what else they have in those cages, how big they could be, how dangerous. You saw how huge that one cage was!"

"I want to know why things are the way they are, Lea! Why the leader of our town has monsters like those on the prowl, why he's not lying here, dead with his partners. I want to know, Lea!"

"Then you're stupid!" Lea laughed bitterly. "I mean, you know these things are lethal, you know Ansem the Wise is really Ansem the Whacko. What else do you need to know?!"

"I want to know who I've been looking up to, Lea! Who I've been studying, who I've wanted to be all my life. I don't want to live in the dark!"

Lea took a deep breath, walked over to Isa and put an arm around him. "There's no convincing you, is there?"

"Nope."

Lea chuckled. "Now I know how you feel all the time." He grinned in disbelief. "I guess I owe something for dragging you into _that_." Lea pointed to the claw marks on Isa's side. "Alright. Let's do this. I'd be lying if I didn't want to know what really was going on here. Sides, could be fun…"

"…could be deadly…"

"…but that's my specialty." Lea offered his hand to shake. "I'm in."

Isa smiled, glad he had convinced his friend to go along with him on an admittedly poorly-thought out crusade. He reciprocated the motion. "Nice."

At that moment, the walls had begun to ooze a dark goo, from which more of those monsters appeared, scuttled, crab-like, down to the floor. Isa and Lea backed into each other, weapons in hand.

Isa asked Lea, "Any second thoughts?"

Lea grinned. "When have I ever gone back on my word?"

With that, Lea and Isa charged their adversaries in opposite directions, Lea slinging his discs around to get the monsters from a distance and therefore avoiding close combat, and Isa doing the opposite by fighting the beasts head on with his club.

After some time, different types of the beasts arrived: knights with animated shields, guards with lances, griffin-like creatures. These new enemies, however, did not wear the two friends down. Lea was throwing his discs around the room and occasionally used them as close-quarters weapons as he eliminated the creatures by the dozen. Isa nimbly jumped around the room, never pausing for rest, hitting the creatures from all sides.

Eventually, the room was cleared, and the adrenaline of the fight was gone, leaving Lea and Isa worn out. "Heh. See, Isa," Lea pointed out as he faced him, "Pushovers." He laughed, prompting Isa to laugh with him. The fight hadn't been so bad after all…that is, until the room shook.

"What was that, Lea?"

Another trembling noise.

"Something very, very big."

Another one.

"It's coming from that wall."

Some bricks fell from the wall.

"Isa, move!" But it was too late. The wall broke, pushed by the force of a violet-colored behemoth of a creature. It had lunged through the wall, landing right where Isa was standing. Isa had crouched down lucky not have been crushed by one of the giant's four paws. Isa rolled from the underside of the creature to get a better picture of the beast, as well to avoid being squashed by the monster's next step. Aside from its evidently large size, its only distinguishing attribute was the horn it had on its head and its razor-sharp teeth. The gargantuan beast, after taking the first step that had almost killed Isa, looked around the room, before fixing its sight on its prey, Lea and Isa now standing side by side.

Isa stood in awe. "What is that?!"

"Does that question even have a point anymore?" As Lea said this, the animal's horn started to generate sparks.

"Alright then. What about WHAT THE HECK IS IT DOING?!"

"Ah." Lea looked up at the unsettling sight. "Good po…"

A miniature explosion resounded from the beast's horn, sending thunderbolts all across the room, causing the computer modules and the lights to explode in a flurry of sparks. Once the explosions had subsided, the only lights illuminating the room were the beast's eyes and the flames left on some of the charts.

"Lea! You alright?"

Lea had been stunned by one of the bolts but after a second look, all seemed to be well.

"Oh, yeah. I'm doing swell." Lea stood up with Isa's help, before turning around. "Over there! I see some light. That's gotta be a door!" The beast, who during this time had been getting its bearings in the dark environment, had finally seemed to realize where the two boys were.

"Let's book it, then!" The two ran for the door, Lea in particular charging his way through them, knocking the hinges loose. They appeared to be in another corridor lined with glass cages. Isa couldn't get as close a look as he wanted, however, as the behemoth was close behind. The force of the behemoth's steps had such tremendous sonic impacts that the glass cases were shattering as the two boys were only a few steps ahead.

Soon enough, Lea and Isa reached the end of the corridor with some stairs to presumably the ground floor. This showed, as the sterile blankness of a research laboratory had been replaced with the grand columns and archways of a proper castle. The boys charged up the stairs with a surprising ease. When they reached the top, they turned to see that the behemoth had stopped running, and was just crouched at the foot of the stairs, looking up at its prey.

Lea laughed at this. "Wow. Look at how tough that thing is. Can't even go up the stairs!" The creature retreated. "Forget what I said earlier. _All_ of these things are pushovers!"

Isa was about to join his friend's celebration when the ground shook again and again and again. The beast had raced back down the hallway and jumped up the stairs, almost grazing the ceiling. Isa rolled out of the way, but Lea was only able to duck.

"Lea!" The dust cleared from the impact of the revealing the giant with its horn stuck fast in the marble of the wall, Lea lying just under the its belly. Lea crawled his way out from that tight spot and patted Isa on the back signaling him to run. The creature had almost succeeded in dislodging itself, and only seemed to have to gotten angrier. Lea and Isa ran down the hall, this one presenting more twists and turns than the last.

Isa shouted, "We have to lose that thing!"

"It can't chase both of us! Isa, you go this way," Lea pointed to the next left that, after a right, would lead Isa to another stairway. "I'll meet you there around this way." He pointed to a route that, if going straight, would lead to a stairway going back down to the lower floors but if taking two lefts, would lead to the same stairway Isa would be going to.

 _The thing takes too sharp a turn and falls down those stairs. You never cease to amaze me, Lea._

"Got it memorized? Good. Go!" Lea pushed Isa to the left, leaving the beast on his trail. Isa got up and ran in his assigned direction. Once Isa had made it to the stairs, he was able to say Lea propelling himself off the wall to avoid the monster's lunge. When Lea landed, he knocked into Isa, almost hitting him towards the ground.

Isa, disappointed the plan failed, remarked, "That thing's fast!"

"News of the world, Isa! Quick! Up the stairs!" The two ran to the top of this flight of stairs, the monster in close pursuit, this time cushioning his landing by sliding into the wall with its side. Lea and Isa pushed through some doors that were in their path revealing a corridor decorated with suits of armor and tapestries, all broken and torn by the monsters that had apparently ravaged the whole place.

As they were running from the behemoth in this hallway, Lea and Isa were beginning to lose energy and slow down. Afraid of being trampled by the monster, Lea jumped against the wall on his side onto the beast's back, grasping onto its horn for dear life. Isa decided to do the same, except he was only able to hold onto its neck. The creature was confused by this and ran through the next wall, flinging Isa and Lea forward.

Isa stood up to get his bearings. The rain had increased exponentially from earlier, now coming down in buckets, thick sheets of cold water blanketing the skyline. The boys had landed on a large curtain wall that ringed the castle. The smaller balcony Ansem who stand at for his public addresses were some ways around the corner from them, almost out of sight.

Isa turned to look over the stone wall. The town was being ravaged by the creatures, swarming around, eating at the buildings and the people, attacking everything in sight.

"No…" Isa muttered before he turned to Lea, who was just starting to rise.

An exhausted Lea said, "That thing, it's too tough." Speaking of the "thing", it had just recovered and fixed its sights on Isa.

It made its move, lunging at Isa. The blue-haired teen rolled aside and back his way in the direction of the castle. The monster was quick to adapt to Isa's allusiveness, however, and simply swung his head in Isa's direction, the side of the horn knocking the boy aside, as well as his weapon and a good deal of consciousness out of him.

The behemoth motioned to crush Isa and finish him before, almost out of nowhere, three balls of fire hit the beast from the back. " _Hey_!" Lea shouted, playing with his smoking weapons, fighting the fatigue from the whole chase. "Stay away from my friend, you hot-pink waste of space!"

"Lea…" Isa feebly said, unable to get up, the soreness, the broken bones, the defeat too strong to fight against.

The monster turned to face Lea, infuriated, and charged in his direction. "Lea?" Isa said in confusion, as Lea just stood there.

 _Why was he giving up? He can't give up. This is Lea. Lea was the fighter. Please, no, Lea._ His friend fell to his knees, all the energy having been beaten out of him.

The creature impaled Lea through the heart with its horn, the force of the blow sending Lea flying over the barrier to the decaying city that used to be Radiant Garden. " _Lea!_ " Isa reached out for his friend, as futile as it was.

At that moment, Isa succumbed to an uncontrollable rage as he breathed heavily, processing what had just happened. He got to his knees and grabbed his weapon.

The moon was beginning to shine through the clouds, penetrating the darkness and shining onto Isa. Channeling the moon's light, Isa's wounds had begun to heal and the energy he had lost in this excursion was coming back.

But at that time, that didn't matter to Isa. "You killed my friend!" Isa leaped to a remarkable height, weapon in hand and struck the beast right on its head. He proceeded to hit its two front legs, bringing the beast down to a Sphinx-like positon. The creature stunned, Isa fixed his blade right between the monster's eyes. It had finally been defeated.

Isa, however, was too blinded by his own anger and the light of the moon to care. Lea was dead and it was because of those things. It was at that moment when Isa made a pact to himself.

Every one of those monsters in this castle would die by Isa's own hand, even to the point of his own death.

And he was going to find Ansem. He wanted to see if he was alive, he wanted to know why this was the way things were.

More importantly, Isa wanted to see him dead.

* * *

Saix rushed through bushes, over fallen trees and into streams to keep up with Pocahontas. She was either very fast or just knew her way around the woods. Either way, Saix had trouble reaching her. After some time, Saix finally caught up with her and grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Wait!"

Pocahontas turned sharply and forced her arm from his grasp, "What are you doing?"

"You need to clear your head, settle your emotions before they hurt you more than help you."

She cocked her eyebrow, disbelieving, "Who _are_ you?"

Saix bit his bottom lip, "I'm your ally. I'm just trying to help…"

"Then trust me to do what's right!"

"The way you are now, you can't be trusted." before she could say anything to that, Saix added, "Trust _me_ , I know!" Saix's voiced had started to rise, a rarity for his cool demeanor.

"If you go in there, the way you are now, you're sure to get yourself killed! I failed to do that and that mistake has lived with me ever since." He almost instinctively touched the X between his eyes but Saix was able to restrain himself, "Channel them first. Know how to use them. This headstrong approach will get you nowhere!" Pocahontas looked away, processing this, "Your abilities, just like your emotions, they're strong. Don't let them get the best of you."

Pocahontas regained eye contact with Saix. "Kocoum, he…he's my betrothed. And hearing about John…" She remained silent for a few seconds, eyes closed, "Come. The clearing isn't much farther." Pocahontas led the way, Saix following.

He considered taking her right then and there, while she was vulnerable and weakened by her feelings. Xigbar would just meet Saix later at the World that Never Was and all would be finished. Saix would've passed the Xemnas's test (or at least he hoped he would) and he'd be satisfied at last.

But there was a part of him that stopped him from summoning his weapon and completing the task now. A part of him that he thought had died years ago…

* * *

The sight Saix and Pocahontas were met with was not a pleasant one. There were two men, one of them Kocoum, fighting Shadows, Neoshadows, Darkballs and others. Those however, weren't the main adversaries these warriors were plagued with.

A whirlwind of dead leaves, bark and twigs came spiraling into the man fighting beside Kocoum, leaving in its trail a smattering of different Heartless. The man was slammed into a tree, killed by the impact, marked with a series of lacerations and bruises to match the ones on the other bodies in the clearing, and on the messenger that had come into Powhatan's tent. Kocoum was worn down as well, cut in several areas by the force of nature spiraling around the clearing, futilely attacking the Heartless with his tomahawk.

Kocoum had just seen Saix and Pocahontas emerge from the tree-line. "Pocahontas! What are you…?" He was unable to finish his question, as the whirlwind grazed him, knocking him to the ground, setting its sights on new prey. Pocahontas reached out for him but realized it was now time to take action as Saix summoned his weapon. She gave Saix a nod to show she was ready, which he reciprocated.

Saix raised his Claymore to block the impact from the multiple leaves and twigs but oddly enough, there was no impact. Instead, as Saix lowered his weapon to see, the funnel cloud began circling him, isolating Pocahontas from him. As the cloud of forest detritus circled him, a figure took shape in the leaves, accompanied by duplicates. Saix tried to follow the figures, trying to make out what to defend when one of them would attack.

The sound of the wind was deafening, making concentration difficult. Little did he know that the spiral was slowly closing in around him. Mistakenly taking a step backwards, Saix's foot was caught in the whirlwind, spinning him around, trapping him in the wind. After what seemed like forever, Saix was flung up into the upper limbs of a tree, cut and bruised up and down his body.

Catching his bearings, Saix looked down to observe the events on the ground. During the pummeling Saix had taken, Pocahontas seemed to have been fending off the Heartless left in the monster's trail. The monster itself had been skimming past the trees surrounding the clearing, taking bark, branches and leaves with it. It then dived down to attack Pocahontas.

Saix motioned to warn her but the branches he was lying on broke and he fell to the ground. Once he recovered from the impact of the fall, Saix brushed himself off and ran to where Pocahontas was.

 _I should've expected this._ Pocahontas, using her own mastery of the winds, was combatting the dark force, keeping it at bay. It was a back-and-forth struggle, each of the gusts nearing victory and nearing defeat on more than one occasion. At last, Pocahontas pushed it back, dispersing much of the leaves, bark and sticks across the area. However, what was now one whirlwind regrouped as four different ones and all attacked Pocahontas at once. She could not defend such an immense attack and she was struck into the air before she was struck back down to the ground when the four whirlwinds became one once more. Taking advantage of her dazed incapacitation, the Heartless on the ground began to make their way to her.

Saix's grip on his weapon tightened as he lunged towards the powerhouse of darkness. He channeled his rage into every blow, dispersing the whirlwind throughout the area. His efforts, as he soon realized, were useless, as he was struck from behind and flung some ways from Pocahontas. Saix looked up, too much in pain to get up, were he saw his adversary obstructing the light of the moon, ready to make the final move on Saix. The Heartless left around on the ground that were not pursuing Pocahontas's body made their way to him. He prepared himself for death, expecting the monster to make its final move.

Out from the trees, a barrage of blasts hit the near intangible foe, pushing it back some ways, setting the dead components of nature within it on fire. The ashes that moved in the wind showed a weakness in the unstoppable Heartless, as it retracted and began its retreat. For good measure, though, the blasts did not stop, as the Heartless was pushed back further until it seemed miles away from the clearing. Following this attack, some blasts were fired towards the ground that exploded on impact, effectively eliminating the Heartless, and almost taking Pocahontas, Kocoum and Saix with them.

 _That reckless, irresponsible dolt…_

"Xigbar." Saix grunted as he fought against the pains shooting through him in an attempt to sit up.

Xigbar jumped down from the trees, from where he had accomplished the rescue. "Lunar loon. I see you made some friends." He made a quick glare at Kocoum and a longer-lasting one on Pocahontas. "So she's the one, huh? Nice work."

Saix nodded, grimacing in pain. "Some help…would be appreciated."

"Course." Xigbar, after putting away his sniper rifles, reached in one of his pockets and threw Saix an Elixir. Saix drank it with haste. Once he finished it, Saix saw that Xigbar had done the same to Pocahontas and Kocoum. They began to rise as well, if not slowly.

"Thank you," Pocahontas said to Xigbar, exasperated. "You must be Saix's friend."

"Work associate but it's all relative." Xigbar smirked and looked over to Saix. "I see you've been social with the locals. Kinda counts as meddling but who keeps score of that stuff, anyways?"

Kocoum had finally gotten up, quickly examining his wounds, before cutting into Xigbar's conversation with Pocahontas. "What are you doing here? With more of _them_? You could've been killed!"

Pocahontas glared at him. "It's my duty to protect my betrothed, isn't it? I'm willing to risk my life. And you should be thanking 'them' for fending off that beast instead of blaming them for the terrible things that've happened here." She gestured to the bodies of their fellow tribe members.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He didn't hurt my feelings or anything like that. I'll live without one more 'thank you'."

Kocoum scowled at Xigbar's bitter words but decided to ignore them and continue chatting with Pocahontas.

Saix made his way to Xigbar and patted him on the shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave them alone for the moment?" He pointed to a spot some ways from where Kocoum and Pocahontas were conversing.

Xigbar began his way over to where Saix gestured, his eyes lingering on Kocoum. "Right." Once they'd gotten to the place Saix pointed out, Xigbar asked, "So that's the princess, huh?"

"The Heartless seem to be attracted to her, and there is a strong light in her heart. But I have my doubts…."

A shade of worry covered Xigbar's face. "What does that mean?"

"The Heartless haven't been a consistent issue for these people. They only appeared after these English people arrived."

"So you're saying this entire thing could've been a wild goose chase?"

"Unfortunately."

"There is a chance, though, right? I don't like wasting my time."

Saix bit his lip. "There might be." In truth, he had begun to doubt the plausibility of Pocahontas being a Princess of Heart. Of course, Powhatan's side might not be entirely accurate, either.

"Good." Xigbar's sly attitude returned. "Then all we have to do is axe off that jerk and take the girl and we're done!"

Saix did a double-take between Xigbar and the couple's conversing, which appeared to have by now become bickering, "What?"

"We have a mission to do, Saix. We gotta get our hands dirty sometimes."

"We can't just kill people from other worlds! That's…"

"What? Wrong? Terrible? Evil?" Xigbar laughed out that last adjective. "Get over yourself. Sides, it's easy."

"Well, it's…" Saix stopped himself, as he processed the second part of Xigbar's statement. "What do you mean by that?"

Xigbar said with a strong sense of pride, "I've done it before, tons of time. Sometimes you gotta put certain things in motion to get what you want. For example, bout an hour ago…"

"An hour?!" Saix stiffened as the pieces fell into place.

"Yeah. I 86ed those English guys' captain or whatever he was. Framed it on one of those guys…" Xigbar pointed at Kocoum. "…I was able to snatch an arrow and plant it at the scene." He laughed, proud of his bloody achievement. "And wouldn't ya know it that these English guys hate the natives here even more that they're even gearing up for war. Originally, the plan was to snatch the princess during the commotion of the fight but I guess thanks to your handy-dandy detective work, we don't need to…"

Having enough of this, Saix grabbed Xigbar by the collar. "What's wrong with you?"

Xigbar remained calm. "What's wrong with _you_?"

"What?"

Xigbar pushed Saix off of him and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Don't you see? You're failing at your job. _Again_. You need to cut off those stupid connections with people. They're holding you back." He pointed at Pocahontas, who seemed to be in an even deeper quarrel with Kocoum. "She's the reason why you're acting up like a stupid kid now."

Saix was taken aback, realizing what his failings were exactly, not wanting to believe them.

Xigbar continued, "You see, this wouldn't be an issue if you wanted to kill that jerk, regardless about hurting the chick's feelings. Mercy, compassion, all that maudlin trash—get rid of it, grow up, forget about it." To conclude this lecture, he firmly added, "Now go ahead and make that guy wish I didn't save his ungrateful…"

"No." Saix knew what Xigbar's game was. If results were the only thing he wanted, Xigbar would've already killed Kocoum. Saix had no time for Xigbar's mind games.

Xigbar sighed. "You should've just gone along with the script, Saix." Eyes fixed on Saix, sternly staring at him, he raised his hand in the air and clenched his hand into a fist.

 _Bang!_

"Kocoum!" Pocahontas held Kocoum's falling body in her arms, struck with fear. Saix watched the spectacle, just as stunned.

He motioned to run off to her but Xigbar grabbed him by the sleeve. "I'm giving you a second chance. Just follow me…"

Saix released himself from Xigbar's grasp. "Second chance?!"

Xigbar casually replied, unfazed by the recent events, "Ya gotta kill somebody…"

"What makes you think I won't kill _you_?"

Xigbar glared at Saix, as if he were threatened before laughing it off. "That'd be a show!" He continued nonchalantly, "Kill your hope at Kingdom Hearts. That's rich."

Saix looked down, knocked back by the words "Kingdom Hearts". They carried such weight with them that they silenced him and even made him consider changing his perspective on the situation.

"Now that I have your attention," Xigbar pointed to some bushes, "the gunshot came from there. If you'll follow me…" He motioned for Saix to follow. Saix did so, if not reluctantly.

As they penetrated the tree-line, Xigbar and Saix were met by an eager young man, dressed differently from the people he'd met. _One of the English, no doubt._

"I did it! I shot him right between the eyes, just like you said!" The boy was filled with a prideful joy, yet trembling with an uncertainty of what he had just done. He mimicked the way Xigbar always shot, steadying the gun, centering it in the shooter's sight.

"I have to say, Thomas, you impressed. If ya just take it down a notch and…" Xigbar nodded to Saix. Now fully aware that this naïve and ambitious boy was the shooter, Saix's anger got the best of him as he lunged at him, pinning this Thomas against a tree, the Claymore pressed against his neck.

"Wh-what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing. You're just a cog in the works, part of the circle life and all that jazz." Xigbar grinned. "Just close your eyes. It'll make things much, much easier."

Saix looked back from Xigbar to Thomas, whose eyes were wet with tears and his body trembling like a leaf in the wind. He pushed the Claymore closer to his victim's neck, knowing that with the right amount of force, the blunt edge of the weapon would behead him. He then looked back into the clearing where Pocahontas held Kocoum's body.

Saix released Thomas, letting him collapse back against the tree.

Xigbar groaned in frustration. "For the love of…"

Saix pointed his weapon towards Xigbar. "Quiet." He pointed it back to the teenager. "Where are the rest of the English?"

The young man stuttered, "T-they're planning a-an assault, by t-the lake, n-near that hill…" He pointed to a steep incline in the land some ways from where they were.

"That's our land!" Pocahontas had joined the affair, looking solemn, and forcedly composed.

Xigbar cut in, "Well, they don't really care, so…"

Pocahontas looked sharply towards him. Xigbar backed off.

Saix nodded as he processed the information, before he finally came up with a plan. "You," he motioned towards Thomas, "you're our hostage…"

Xigbar was taken aback by this. "What?!"

Saix snapped, "We're doing this peacefully. We can't risk any more violence. They'd outnumber us."

Xigbar stepped up to Saix and whispered, "Have you forgotten why we're here?"

Saix played along. "If we do something for her people, she'll come with us with no issue. I'd prefer that to a kidnapping."

Xigbar rolled his eyes. "I guess there's still time..." He walked off and leaned against a tree, thinking this plan out.

Pocahontas walked towards Saix. "What you're saying is we negotiate with them, using one of their own to bargain with them?"

Saix replied, "Yes. Unless you…"

"No," Pocahontas said firmly. "If there's any way to establish peace, it's not through violence. If we do this peacefully, maybe my father will do the same." She nodded in the direction opposite of the clearing. "There's a boat a little upriver from here. We can row it over to where the English are…"

Xigbar cut in skeptically, "If he's even telling the truth."

The young man spoke up. "I swear, I'm not lying!"

"He's not lying," Saix said flatly before nodding to Pocahontas. "Lead the way, then."

With that, Pocahontas led Saix and Xigbar, who was pushing Thomas forward as their prisoner, to the river, the night almost nearing its end.

* * *

A/N: If you think the movie's more historically inaccurate than this, I think you need help.


End file.
